The Year That Never Was

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The Year That Never Was was a year which, due to the destruction of the paradox machine, never occurred for a majority of the population of Earth, but was remembered by a few people on the Valiant. During this time, beginning in approximately Spring 2008 to 2009 and lasting exactly a year, the Master, with the assistance of the Toclafane, ruled over Earth. However, once the year was erased from history, the population of earth was returned, as was the lands that were destroyed. Thus the Master ultimately failed to alter history.

The Master had enslaved the human race with the intention of using them to build weapons in preparation for war against the rest of the universe. The Master wished to turn Earth into New Gallifrey and create a new empire stretching across the universe, lasting "one hundred trillion years". (TV: The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords)

The Master imposed a dictatorial and despotic regime upon the Earth with himself at the head of it.

The people suffered severe over-crowding, often with many families crammed into a single house, and economic and technological regress occurred massively in the neglected urban centres. One citizen claimed that London was "full of wild dogs" by night. A huge amount of human lives were lost over the course of the year.

Television and any notable technology was shut down, and entirely replaced with the Archangel Network. It was implied by Professor Alison Docherty that at some point a military response to the invasion was attempted, but the Toclafane descended.

The Master also carved his face into Mount Rushmore, and ordered statues of himself to be built across the world to enforce his regime. The effects on Earth were so great that the planet was closed to the wider universe, and the planet was designated to be unsafe to approach.

The leader of the resistance was Martha Jones, who became renowned among the human race for travelling across the world and evading capture by the Master. One of her more notable escapes was her escape from Japan, being the only person ever to do so.

She had escaped the Valiant using a vortex manipulator given to her by Jack Harkness and witnessed the slaughter of one tenth of the population of Earth. Many legends developed around Martha Jones and the purpose for her travelling the world. The most common belief held by people was that she travelled across the world in search of a weapon. Another belief held by the people was that Martha Jones was the only one who could kill the Master.

The Eve of War was the day before the Master planned to go to war against the rest of the universe. He chose this day to transmit a warning to Martha. He used his laser screwdriver to age the Doctor's body to his actual age of 900 years. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

A revolt on the Valiant and the destruction of the paradox machine by Jack Harkness reversed time to just before the Toclafane's arrival on Earth. Everyone on the Valiant retained their memory of the year while the rest of the human race had no memory of the events under the Master's reign. (TV: The Last of the Time Lords)